To worry most people won’t ever ‘get it’

[OverTheRainbow88]

All the marches, Protests etc and people still don’t seem to understand!

Will they ever?

the mermaid could have had a tail that was too shiny - why fuzzy hair!?!? just a stupid cock up. Maybe the person who did it meant it to be racist, maybe it never crossed their mind that it would be seen that way, but at some point through the approval process someone should have said 'hold up - that's going to go down like a lead balloon!'

Firstly it says her hair is fluffy not fuzzy. Secondly, it was a reprint of an existing book. As has been pointed out many times on this thread. The mermaid was white and blonde with fluffy hair. To be inclusive they just changed the colouring of the cover mermaid to dark skin and hair.

Was it a lazy way of making the book inclusive. Yes.
Was it an oversight that calling a black mermaids hair fluffy might have different undertones to a white mermaid. Yes.
Did printing just the cover onto a t-shirt taking away the context of the touch and feel book make it look like a dig at the mermaids hair. Yes.

Is it a racist attack on black hair. No. It's lazy product design.

If you think a “spot the difference” book is a big issue, I’m guessing you’ve never experienced any real hardship.

the mermaid could have had a tail that was too shiny

Because then some white knight would have complained saying it was making a racist comment about booties/behinds or something instead.

I say we stand up for the mermaids.
Let's boycott and shop that calls merpeople fluffy hair haves.
The fish may be voicing this thought, so let's stop drinking water.
A gardener told me Carrots are unhappy with the fully comment as they feel the leaves full into this description.
So they want us to stop eatting veg, so we can show support.
The dogs pictured in the books have also woofed a message about straight hair v and hair, it seems many animals are upset, so can we stop eatting mean as well.
The Govenment are worried so are issuing cardboard boxes, which will fit over any size human, they have hand holes so we can feel what may be in our paths, thus avoiding our need to SEE anything that might offend us.
Please be aware that all forms of communication have been blocked.
Give it 3 weeks and everyone who adopts the new measure won't be around to be offended.

@mummmy2017

You feeling ok? Maybe give your GP a call.

GP says I am fine, he says the problem is the professional offended.

Utterly ridiculous. I am sick to death of people finding anything and everything to be offended by. This book has been printed with a white mermaid with fluffy hair also (see picture) didn’t get anyone who may suffer with naturally frizzy hair moaning about racism then. All they’ve done is tried to include all ethnicities and then they still get moaned at. Can’t f’ing win.

Worlds gone mad honestly

I would be interested to know how many people complaining about this actually are black. I would have thought the marches were about more important things and making a big issue of things that weren't even intended to cause offence undermines all the important stuff in my opinion.

I agree with this. I'm not black, I am indian. I have the very common thick, dark, frizzy indian hair, which has been commented on and compared to my white friends hair throughout my life. Funnily enough it only became a negative comparison once I got to high school. about 14, when everyone became more concious of their looks. Before that it was just matter of fact 'really has dark and curly hair, X's is straight and brown, Y's is also curly but blonde'.

I am sick of other people being offended for me, and even worse, white people then saying that it's 'so sad' because it's 'self ingrained racism'. No. I am well aware their are differences in how we look, our cultures, how our families behave, the problem for me comes when one is framed as worse than the other. Recognizing differences is fine. Black people have different hair, it's more ridiculous to tip toe around the fact than to just state it as fact, shrug and move on - don't let it hold any value.

I genuinely feel sorry for everyone who finds this offensive. What a miserable life you must all lead.

the problem for me comes when one is framed as worse than the other

Well yes, that's the issue, often it is.

@mummmy2017

GP says I am fine, he says the problem is the professional offended.

Or maybe he meant the professionally ignorant.

@Choochoose

the problem for me comes when one is framed as worse than the other

Well yes, that's the issue, often it is.

Of course it is. But i mean it goes both ways. I don't want to be coddled, or tiptoed around. I'm an intelligent woman capable of understanding when a comparison is made to actually compare or to decimate one option. I am also just as capable of understanding a joke as anyone else. White people getting 'offended' at things just in case they offend people of colour is actually incredibly insulting. It frames you as saviours, more sensitive and socially aware. I'm sick of it.

Alright, makes it easier then if none of us give a fuck anymore, I mean we will get told remaining silent is an issue, but if trying to firefight children being teased rather than hoping for fundamental change in societies ideals and representation is better than so be it.

@Choochoose

Alright, makes it easier then if none of us give a fuck anymore, I mean we will get told remaining silent is an issue, but if trying to firefight children being teased rather than hoping for fundamental change in societies ideals and representation is better than so be it.

You're the perfect example of white fragility. A person of colour calls you out and you go 'waaah, I can't do right for doing wrong' and storm off in a huff rather than engaging and actually listening to our voices and what we care about.

You're the perfect example of white fragility. A person of colour calls you out and you go 'waaah, I can't do right for doing wrong' and storm off in a huff rather than engaging and actually listening to our voices and what we care about.

But people feel differently about it anyway, there isn't an echo chamber where everyone feels the same, so nothing will ever be right. So what's the point? Do we await to be summoned for support? But by then it's often too late and then just virtue signalling.

Is it not racist to label people with the term 'white fragility'? Why is someone getting offended (even if it is ridiculous) related to the colour of their skin? Would you look at me as a white person and assume that I will step out of an argument about race in a petulant way?

For what it's worth I think any reference to hair as 'fluffy' is an unflattering description. People at Usborne should have had more sense when changing the race of the mermaid. I don't think it was deliberately racist though.

Not sure there’s anything to get here

This is ridiculous people just love to fucking moan 🙄

@Wilberforce1

Ironic coming from someone with a chosen name like yours

@OverTheRainbow88

No idea what you’re talking about, it was the surname of a person in a book I was reading when I needed a name!!

People must be constantly on the lookout for something to be offended about and run to the newspapers with! It must be tiring...

Those saying there are different characters on the cover of the books, isn't the point that this was on a t-shirt, not on a book. Do they do different characters on t-shirts too?

"They wanted to be inclusive" is a really poor defence if they chose to feature a black character in a book that criticises a character's hair. If they had stopped to think about it they'd have realised it was a bad idea. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

There's loads of examples, mainly in advertising, where they have tried to be inclusive and got it badly wrong. You don't get a pass just because you tried.

current BLM bandwagon

Yes, trying to ensure people are not treated really badly because of their skin colour is so bandwagonny.

Professionally offended I would agree.